


High Hopes Morning Routine

by Goldstone_Wolf



Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [62]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), High Hopes Low Rolls (Web Series)
Genre: Fish, Gen, Insects, Just some playing at mlm but nothing really, Knives, Malark and Paddy are awkward and dodging each other like it's dodgeball, Mornings, Water, mentions of sharp objects, sleepy mornings, tws for:, when it's really not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26401804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldstone_Wolf/pseuds/Goldstone_Wolf
Summary: Some daily routines in the High Hopes camp.
Relationships: Paddock "Paddy" Whitlaw & Malark Dundragon
Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [62]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692196
Kudos: 8





	High Hopes Morning Routine

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know if I need to say it because I think it’s pretty obvious by now, but I don’t own High Hopes Low Rolls. I don’t own Dungeons and Dragons, obviously. I wasn’t even born in the same century as Dungeons and Dragons. Like I might write a couple stories about my own stuff, but those would always be tagged and even then I would just be doing it because I’m bored.   
> Anyways, just thought I might need that disclaimer. I have no idea if any of these fics are good or accurate or whatever (I keep misspelling poor Cara’s name and once I called Rook a warlock instead of a wizard because I thought Zenya was his familiar.)

As morning broke over a thankfully peaceful camp, the rest of High Hopes gradually stirred.

Opening his eyes to the pale gold and baby blue sky, Paddy rolled over and felt Malark shift beside him. Smiling softly, he rolled back over and felt some stones dig into his spine. He must have been absolutely exhausted the night before if he hadn’t felt them until that moment. Shifting his shoulders, he wrinkled his nose just a little bit and then sat up, twisting until his back let out a series of loud _cracks_. Nagar was snoring beside Mina, who was also snoring. Terra was out, still. Brio was stirring the coals every so often, blinking large orange-amber eyes at Paddy when he waved. She waved back, then returned to staring into the fire rather casually.

The chilly morning air wrapped around him, and Paddy slowly eased himself to his feet and then looked around. Ava and Gimgar were curled up almost like cats right next to one another, snoozing away. Zada was missing. From what Paddy knew of her, she was probably off praying somewhere quietly, where the others couldn’t find her.

He wandered into the woods, looking around as golden dawn light streamed through bright green leaves and danced along the hazel-stone-toned waters of a creek. Dead leaves and sticks scattered across the dirt path crunched under his boots, and he kicked a small white stone in front of him as he walked. A small smile cracked his face as he reached the quiet creek where they had crossed a bridge the night before. Sitting down, he pulled his boots and socks off and let his feet dangle in the chilly water as he watched leaves swirl along in the current. Small silvery fish swam around his ankles, and he pulled off his mask to look at it in the morning light.

The grooves in the delicately carved wood gleamed, eye holes dark as always. An odd sense of aching filled his chest and he closed his eyes for a brief moment, holding the mask to his chest. He still remembered when Connor, Cara, and Ronan had given it to him. As the early autumn forest breathed life around him, he let the faint breeze play with his curls. Bluebirds chirped over his head, and he heard a pantherlike tread cross the leaves towards him.

Opening his eyes and looking over, he smiled softly at Malark as the assassin walked over. He sat down by Paddy, yawning behind the mask and rolling his shoulders calmly before pulling out each of his knives. The polished silver glittered in the morning sunlight, and Malark went about polishing them quietly. There didn’t need to be any sound between them, and Paddy looked up at the morning sky. Once Malark felt like taking, then they might talk. Until then…well, there was no harm in silence, was there?

It was actually kind of nice.

Going back to cleaning any remnants of dirt out of the grooves of the mask, Paddy mused that it was starting to get dirtier than he preferred it to be. _I might have to restain it, soon. Or maybe there’s some sort of spell I can use to fix it that way. I should ask someone once we get to the next town._

Malark began sharpening his knives, dragging a small whetstone along the curved blade. “Do you ever think about what it might be like if we just…left High Hopes? Ran away into the night,” Paddy began, looking over to meet Malark’s icy blue gaze, “and never came back?”

Sunlight danced in Malark’s eyes under his hood, lighting his face in dramatic shadows and turning his gaze a sharp icy golden-hued tone that Paddy swore was the prettiest colour he had ever seen. Putting his knife back in its sheath and then picking up the other one to give it the same treatment, Malark stared at the blade as he flipped it. Golden light glinted off the blade, flashing bright. “Would you _want_ to do that?”

Shrugging, Paddy turned back to the forest up ahead. Trees stretched out as far as his eyes could see. “I guess one day…if we make it that long, then I might leave. Find something else to do.” Laughing, he glanced to the side and added, “I don’t think I could ever imagine leaving High Hopes, though. I’ll probably die before that happens.”

“Eh, very likely. We’re more likely to die on the same battlefield together than make it to old age.” When Paddy glanced his way, Malark’s eyes narrowed in the particular way that meant he was grinning his eyes under the mask.

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Still smarter than you.”

Laughing, Paddy shoved Malark in the shoulder and the assassin very nearly tumbled into the river. At the last moment, Paddy grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him close enough to kiss. He very nearly _did_ kiss him for a moment, and then thought better of it and leaned away. “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean very much.”

“Don’t be self-deprecating. It’s not a pretty look on you.” When Paddy glanced his way, Malark was still staring down at his knife. In the reflection of the blade, though, Paddy was pretty sure that the assassin was watching him that way, rather than directly looking at him.

“Oh?” Leaning in, Paddy let his chin settle on Malark’s shoulder and felt the assassin stiffen up just a little bit at the unexpected touch. He didn’t shove Paddy off, though, so that was probably a good thing. “And what _is_ a good look on me, Malark?”

Coughing awkwardly, Malark shoved him off and then started walking back to the camp with nothing more than a, “I need to go do something.” With a sigh, Paddy watched him disappear and then turned to look back up at the sky. Bright green leaves cradled the white cloud-swirled, baby blue sky up above. He closed his eyes again and let his fingers brush over the mask in his hands.

“I still miss you, you know.” He murmured, opening his eyes and waiting. Silence settled on the world again, and he eventually got up. Putting his boots back on, he watched a deer bound through the woods as a fuzzy black caterpillar crawled along the wood planks of the bridge. When he was finished, he got to his feet with a grunt, looked down at the stream to watch a group of leaves swirl by, and then started walking back to camp. A butterfly winged past him, white wings flashes in the morning light. Another small smile crossed his face.

And so started another day for High Hopes.

**Author's Note:**

> You’re all loved and appreciated and awesome and amazing! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day!


End file.
